Hugo

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young boy (Asa Butterfield) works to complete an automaton his father (Jude Law) found years ago.

Review:

Tim: Hugo is a pretty interesting film. It's a children's movie from Martin Scorsese, which automatically makes it a fairly unique movie. It was also very warmly received by critics, being nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and winning 5. This was put on almost every critic's top 10 list. While I thought this movie was very good, solidly made, and impressive, the movie is also a bit overrated. I'm not sure it is nearly as good as everyone claimed.

The film did win 5 Academy Awards- Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. What's interesting is that these are all technical awards. I agree that this movie was technically amazing- Scorsese put together an expertly made movie, and I think that the film is stunning to watch. It deserved all these Oscars (except Visual Effects, which should have go to Rise of the Planet of the Apes). I agree this is a technically amazing movie. However, a great film needs more.

The Academy Awards it did not win (but was nominated for) include: Best Costume Design, Best Directing, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. I don't think it deserved to win any of these. This explains my thinking about this movie- technically sound, but missing some of the heart and soul that separates good movies from great ones.

Asa Butterfield does a pretty terrific job in the lead role. He reminded me of a young Elijah Wood. He was vulnerable, strong, emotional, and enjoyable in the lead role. I really thought he did a pretty excellent job. I really like Chloe Grace Moretz, and I think she will be an extremely talented actress. I didn't think she was that great here. She's mostly strong, but there's just too many moments where her performance felt forced and hard to believe. I wanted her to be better. Ben Kingsley was decent, but I didn't love his performance. Sacha Baron Cohen just felt so out of place- I kept wondering, "Why is he in this film?" I don't think he added much to the film. Jude Law was a welcome presence, but he just doesn't get enough screen time. Besides Butterfield, this film really needed an especially strong performance from someone- anyone- in the cast.

I love that this movie is really about the early days of Hollywood. I'm sure that is why so many people in the Academy loved the film- movies about Hollywood play well in Hollywood. That part is pretty interesting, but it feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the movie. The film starts off feeling like a mystery about an automaton. The big question is, "Can Hugo fix it, and what does it write?" There's no indication this is a movie about movies. It's only until later in the film do we realize the extent of this aspect of the plot. I felt like the transition was a bit clumsy, causing the change in pace to seem a bit disjointed.

Martin Scorsese does a very good job of creating these interesting relationships between the various characters. It's fun to watch the blooming friendship between Hugo and Isabelle. It's also interested to consider the relationship between Hugo, his father, and his uncle. I also enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Isabelle and Georges. This movie does a good job of establishing relationships we actually care about. That was a great strength of the film. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like there was a real payoff at the end. Everything is wrapped up quite nicely and neatly, but it felt like we missed out on some powerful scenes. I wanted to feel something more about the resolution for each character.

Hugo is definitely a very, very good movie. I'm glad it received so many accolades. However, I also feel like it was a bit overrated. I don't think it is a truly great movie, even with all the talent involved. It's solid, but not one of the best films of 2011 (in my obviously contrarian opinion).

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Artist, The Polar Express